Does reindeer moss always smell?

pink_overallsNovember 22, 2011

I bought 3 packages of reindeer moss at the dollar store to use in a centerpiece at a club lunch 3 weeks from now. My beagle, scent hound that she is, discovered how good they smelled and when I wasn't in the room, tore all the packages apart, just to smell the moss.

That's not the problem. I cleaned it all up, and put the stuff back in bags, out of her reach. The problem is, it stinks a little. Does this stuff always smell like the beach? It's very slightly damp, but not rotten or moldy. Technically, it's lichen, the stuff that caribou eat all winter.

How can I use it as part of a centerpiece when it smells like seaweed? It's not altogether unpleasant, but it doesn't seem appropriate or appetizing. Is there a way to disinfect or hide the aroma? What do other crafters do? Should I find a substitute like sheet moss or sphagnum?

I sometimes have found it in the wild and I don't remember it having a smell like the beach. It sounds like something that happened in the processing or packaging.
I would try rinsing one clump of it in clean cold water. Don't return it to the packaging, maybe put it in a paper bag once it has mostly dried so that it can continue to dry a bit without getting brittle.
Good luck! Post a pic of your centerpieces.
Kathy